


A Very Destiel Christmas

by KissYourSanityGoodbye



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst, Castiel is Missing, Christmas, Christmas Angst, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Hacker Sam, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-22 21:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13175823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissYourSanityGoodbye/pseuds/KissYourSanityGoodbye
Summary: When Castiel never shows up to the Winchester household for Christmas Eve, Dean gets really worried.





	1. Chapter 1

It was Christmas Eve and the entire town of Lawrence was set a flurry with a rush to buy last-minute Christmas presents and every front porch and store front was projectile vomiting seasons greetings. Under any other circumstance, Dean would find this disgusting, but Castiel has this habit of burrowing under Dean's skin and assaulting him with childlike innocence and genuine excitement for all things Christmas or religious or winter in general. The guy is sixteen years old for fuck's sake and he still lights up when he sees a pony with a pair of antlers taped to their head. It's as annoying as it is endearing.

Dean and Castiel were just finishing up their last day working as elves in Santa's village. Even Castiel, who is obsessed with all things Christmas, found the tacky green costumes and pointed elf ears embarrassing. It didn't stop Castiel from applying the silver cheek sparkles to his face because he doesn't "do anything half-assed, Dean."

The pay isn't too shabby considering they're entire job description is spreading Christmas cheer while wearing pointed shoes. Seeing Castiel in those striped tights for the first time was almost compensation enough. He looked so ridiculous Dean nearly pissed himself. Very nearly.

Both boys, now dressed in their civilian clothes, hung up their striped tights and pointed shoes for the last time. "So," Cas says, "I was thinking I'd head home for a little bit and get a jump start on my winter break assignments and then I'll meet you back at your house, yeah?"

"You're already starting your winter break homework? Dude, school let out yesterday."

Cas rolls his eyes, "Yes, I am very aware of that Dean but I don't want to spend New Year's crying into my Chemistry text book."

"All right, whatever, you do you. Just remember my mom wants to start dinner by six, yeah?" For the past three years Castiel has been spending Christmas in the WInchester household. His family has this weird thing about Christmas; they're extremely religious to the point where they believe Christmas should be a solemn occasion. They have an evergreen tree but they refuse to put any decorations other than a star.

Dean has seen it. It's ridiculously depressing.

Dean hadn't realized what desolate Christmases Castiel had in the Novak household until after they had been friends for two years already. When he finally found out, he told his mom and she insisted, with Castiel's parents permission of course, that Castiel spend Christmas Eve and day with them. The Novaks agreed, they weren't monsters after all, that Castiel could celebrate Christmas however he wanted.

It's been tradition ever since.

"Of course, I'll be there on time."

They collected their things and left Santa's village, nodding goodbye to their fellow elves as they left the village for the last time.

After Castiel drove away from the lot, Dean hopped in his car and headed straight for downtown. It's actually a good thing Cas decided to get a head start on homework because Dean still hasn't gotten a present for him.

He's not lazy or forgetful or anything; he's just ridiculously bad at getting gifts for other people. Shopping for his family wasn't too hard: he got a charm bracelet for Mary, a geeky book for Sam, and a comical coffee mug for John, but shopping for Castiel is so damn hard.

Cas isn't a very materialistic guy. He doesn't give two craps about fashion; he wears the same damn old trench coat everyday. He has an odd affinity for Disney and musicals so Dean briefly considered getting him _Mary Poppins_ on DVD but he's willing to bet Castiel probably already has it.

After wandering aimlessly for over a half hour at the few stores open on Christmas Eve, Dean was still empty handed. He got in his car and slammed his head on the steering wheel, "Ugh, why do I suck so hard at this?"

Every year Castiel gets him something so freakin' thoughtful and it makes Dean want to hug the living daylights out of him as well as make him tear his hair out. Dean wonders if he should just pick up a jug of fruit punch from the corner Walgreens, stick a bow on it, and call it a day when he gets an idea.

He puts his car in drive and goes to his grandmother's house. She's the most thoughtful person he knows. If she can't help him no one can.

He knocks on her door and she opens it immediately with a bright smile, "Dean, what a pleasant surprise!" she pulls him into a hug and kisses his cheek, "I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight, what brings you here?"

"I need your help with something."

Concerns flits across her wrinkled face. She ushers him into the foyer and closes the door, "Is something wrong, sweetheart?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he assures her. "It's just I wanted to get something really special for Cas for Christmas but I couldn't figure out what to get him. He's going to be at my house in less than three hours and I have nothing to give him."

 His grandmother laughs and Dean wrinkles his brow, "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," his grandma says between giggles, "It's just you looked so distressed, I thought someone had a heart attack or something."

"No Grandma, but I might because I've really been stressing myself out over this the past month."

Deanna sits down on the couch and gestures for Dean to sit beside her, "Well what does Castiel like?"

"I don't know, he likes movie musicals but I'm sure he's probably seen them all. He likes mythology but the only good book I could find on it I decided to give to Sam. I figure he'll probably lend to Castiel when he's done reading it anyway. The only other thing I've ever seen Cas get really enthusiastic about is Christmas."

Deanna is contemplative for a moment and then says, "You know, Castiel has never seemed like a very materialistic person to me. I can see your predicament."

"I know right!" Dean groans into his hands, "This holiday is supposed to be fun, why is this so hard?"

"Dean, you could give that boy a jar of grounded dirt and he'd still put it in a display case because it came from you."

"I know, Grandma, but I want Castiel to see I actually put a lot of thought into his gift this year."

Deanna scratches her chin and then her eyes light up, "I got it! Look over at my front door."

Dean looked and saw a Christmas wreath with white flower buds, red berries, and red and white silk ribbons running through it. "Um, it's a beautiful wreath. What about it?"

"I made it."

Dean looks at it again. "Wait, you _made_ that?" The decorations adorning the circlet are simple and tasteful but elegant and clearly put together with a talented and dedicated hand.

"Mmhmm. It actually is easier to put one together than you think. Didn't take me too long either."

"Well, it's very nice but I don't see what this has to do with Castiel," Dean says.

Deanna huffs affectionately, "My point it is, that I can show you how to make one. I still have a lot of extra supplies left, and we should be done in time for you to give it to Castiel."

Dean smiles, "That'll be perfect for him! He doesn't have any Christmas decorations in his house; he could put it on his bedroom door or something."

"And it'll be hand-made from you which I'm sure is what he'll love best about it." She pats Dean's hand, "Okay, follow me to my craft room. We've got work to do."

....

Castiel shuts his advanced Chemistry text book with a huff. He loves to challenge himself in school but shit, all those ionic compounds and exceptions to the rules of periodic trends are giving him a headache.

He glances at the clock on the wall and sees that it's already ten past six.  He hastily pulls on a nicer sweater and his trench coat. He wishes his parents a Merry Christmas and gives them both a hug and a kiss. He grabs Dean's present on his way out the door.

He could take his car but Dean's house is less than a ten minute walk and it's not all that chilly out. Dean knows Castiel has a bad habit of always being slightly tardy. Besides, Castiel likes the chance to admire all the decadent light displays put up by their neighbors.

His mind starts to drift as it often does. Christmas at the Winchester household has deepened Castiel's love for Christmas. Castiel has always enjoyed the Holiday, but celebrating it with his family doesn't feel much like a celebration at all, though he loves them dearly.

When Dean first invited him over to their house to celebrate Christmas in the Winchester household a few years ago, Castiel worried his parents would forbid him to go. He was after all, their only son and Christmas was meant to be celebrated as a family. Mary made it clear the all the Novaks were invited to come but both his parents politely declined saying they preferred a solemn Christmas.

Castiel can't imagine why. Nevertheless, the said Castiel could celebrate Christmas however he wanted and they always saw him off on Christmas Eve with no hard feelings.

Castiel had a hard time figuring out what to get Dean this year. Dean claims every year that his gifts are almost too thoughtful but Castiel feels they are never enough. Nothing could repay Dean for the gift he's given Castiel of being welcomed into the Winchester family.

He knows it's a silly pipe dream, but Castiel longs for they day he could be a part of the family for real. Not just in spirit, but in name too.

' _Castiel Winchester'_ , Cas shakes his head, ' _Stop it with your ridiculous fantasies, Castiel. Dean will never want you in that way.'_

Castiel is so preoccupied with his thoughts he doesn't hear the soft crunch of rapidly approaching footsteps in the thin layer of snow before it's too late and a burlap sack is thrown over his head.

.......

Dean gently places the wreath in a gift bag and covers it with gift bag tissue paper just by the time the clock strikes six. His wreath didn't come out quite as cleanly as his grandmother's did; it had a few awkward branches sticking out a bit haphazardly here and there, but Dean thought the overall affect would suit Cas rather well.

After fifteen minutes had gone by Mary poked her head into the living room, "You told Castiel that dinner was at six right?"

"Yeah, I did but I'm sure he just lost track of time studying. I'll call him, he's probably already on his way."

Mary nods, "Okay, I'm a little behind schedule in here anyway." She disappears back into the kitchen a Dean calls Castiel.

 _Ring. RIng. Ring..._ Voicemail.

After another fifteen minutes Dean starts to wonder what's up. Castiel tends to always be a couple minutes late but never by this much. He calls twice more and there's still no answer.

By 7 o'clock Dean really starts to get worried. He rings Castiel's house and his mother answers the phone sounding very confused. She informs Dean that Castiel left and had been walking to his house over an hour ago.

Dean runs out the door without even bothering to grab his jacket. His mother shouts after him but Dean ignores her. He follows the route he knows Castiel usually takes. The snow on the side walk is completely untouched until halfway where he sees a set of footprints that must be Castiel's. He sees a second set behind his.

And then he sees a single set of footprints and what looks like marks from feet being dragged through the snow. Both those tracks lead to the street and then disappear. All that are left are tire tracks.

Cas has been kidnapped.


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel has a reputation with his classmates (save for Dean) for being unemotional. His stone mask of a face coupled with his unflappable demeanor gives the impression that he does not experience emotions the way normal people should.

All of his peers are wrong because right now Castiel is scared.

After Cas was thrown carelessly into the backseat like a ragdoll, the car sped down the street at a speed that definitely was not safe taking into account all the snow and ice on the road. Castiel tried to remember every way we he felt the car turn but after a while he couldn't keep track and he was too panicked to pay enough attention.

He was hyperventilating and it was very hard to breath in the sack. No one is holding him down but he can feel the presence of a person sitting next to him and he's too afraid of the possible repercussions of removing the burlap sack. Castiel wonders of he could tuck and roll out of the car but he surmises he would die or at least gravely injure himself at the speed the car was going.

If he got too hurt he wouldn't be able to run.

What do these people want with him?

 After what feels like ages but was in reality probably twenty minutes, the car stops. Castiel is dragged out of the car and ushered forward. He nearly trips going up steps no one warns him about. He wishes his kidnappers would say something, anything so he could figure out their age and gender.

Castiel hears the clinking of keys and hears the tumblers of a lock being opened. He's ushered through the threshold of a building. Now Castiel properly begins to panic. Once they close that door behind him, it's over. No one will know where he is, no one will be able to help him.

"Please, don't do this!" Castiel begs, "I don't know what you want with me but I think you grabbed the wrong person. My family has no significant sums of money to pay as a ransom so there's no reason to hold me captive. I'm only sixteen, please let me go. I haven't seen your faces or even heard your voices, I have nothing to tell the police!"

"Oh, Eddie" a disembodied matronly voice says, "We're scaring the poor boy half to death, take that sack off his head."

All of a sudden the sack is gone and Castiel squints as his eyes adjust to the bright light. He expected to be in a creepy abandoned warehouse like in every abduction movie but instead his in a cozy albeit tackily- decorated foyer complete with over a dozen Santa figurines and brown shag carpeting.

He whips around to face his kidnappers and is surprised to see a normal suburban couple in their early sixties with sweet expressions on their faces. Not the roughed up thugs he was expecting. The woman is wearing a flour-coated apron for fuck's sake.

After recovering slightly from his shock, Castiel wastes no time darting past the couple towards the still wide open front door.

"Oh no you don't, boy," the man, Eddie, says. He yanks Castiel back with an unnatural amount of strength and forcibly drags him back into the foyer. "Madge, get the door."

Madge closes the doors a slides close the deadbolt. It clicks with a such a finality that Castiel can only feel despair deep in his gut.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Madge sing songs. "We were going to keep you tied up in the living room, we just had the wallpaper redone, but you just showed us we can't trust you." She tsks and then sighs, "I guess we're going to have to keep you in the basement."

Eddie drags him down the wooden basement stairs and Castiel fights him the whole way. The man just tosses Castiel into a chair completely unfazed by his kicking and scratching. He holds him down while Madge ties him up.

Madge ties the final knot, "There you go, all snug like a bug in a rug."

"What do you want with me?" Castiel asks sensing he won't get a straight answer anyhow. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Oh of course not, dearie" Madge pinches his cheeks, "It's nothing personal,we just want your youthful vitality is all."

"What?" Castiel asks incredulous.

Madge pats his knee sympathetically, "All will become clear soon, but first I have to go check on my Christmas roast. Don't worry, we'll be back soon." Madge and Eddie climb the creaky stairs and close the basement door. Castiel hears another discouraging click of a lock.

He takes in the surroundings of the distinctly less cheerfully decorated basement he's just been sequestered in. It's damp and musty. They're are shelves lined with odd jars and rusty hooks and other odd tools here and there but nothing within arm's reach. Especially when his arms are tied uncomfortably behind his back.

Castiel tries to remain optimistic but the situation seems dire.

He misses Dean.

......

 Dean wasted no time calling the police. They took Dean's statement and the statements of Castiel's parents. Mary had a hard time trying to keep Dean calm but he couldn't help losing his temper with the cops.

Why were they still here asking bullshit questions like, "Did Castiel have any enemies?" when they should be out looking for him. They have a general idea of which way the kidnapper's car went so why the fuck are they still here?

When Dean asked them as much Mary intervened after shooting Dean a look, "Cas had no enemies, he was a very sweet boy."

The cop and his partner both nodded and one scribbled this furiously into his little notebook.

"You're sure about that?," the cop says, "Our records say he was very bright in school." (Dean hates that word. _Was._ ) "Perhaps someone was jealous and had it out for him?"

Why are they taking arbitrary notes and asking twenty questions about the hallmarks of Castiel's personality. Even Mary is beginning to look ticked off.

Dean opens his mouth to snark at the cops once more but Mary beats him to it, "He's a very sweet, intelligent boy who's in serious trouble right now so you two better stop being a waste of space in my living room and get on finding him. And you don't need to write that down."

The cops thoroughly chastised scuttle out the door quickly after that to begin their search.

"That really got their asses going, " John remarks from where he was leaning against the wall. He had considered intervening but he knew no one could strike the fear of God into men like his wife.

Sensing his the distress written clearly on his son's face, John walks over to him and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, son. Those two gave you a bad impression but the Lawrence Police Department is full of many more capable cops. I've got no doubt they have the entire force combing the town for Castiel."

Dean just nods hopelessly. He's seen the news. He knows the statistics when it comes to abductions.

Mary offers him some calming tea but Dean declines and retires to his room to anxiously wait in solitude. He hears a hesitant knock not two minutes later. "Mom, I appreciate it but I don't want any calming tea."

"It's just me," Sam says poking his head in the door.

"Hey, Sammy. You can come in."

Sam knows better than to be annoyed with Dean for calling him Sammy right now. Instead he cuts right the chase knowing time is of the essence, "Listen, I think I know a way we can find Castiel."

Dean shoots up so fast Sam knows he must have given himself head rush, "Well I'm all ears right now, Sammy."

......

It takes Castiel ten minutes to realize Madge and Eddie forgot to confiscate his cell phone. His phone was vibrating incessantly in his back pocket  during the car ride (Dean no doubt wondering where he is), and he's immensely grateful he forgot to switch it off of silent.

All of a sudden his phone begins vibrating again. Castiel twists his hands trying to reach his phone.

Almost, almost.

He nearly sprains his wrist and he gives himself killer rope burn but he finally grasps the cool metal. He flips the phone open and puts the phone on speaker.

"Cas! Cas are you there?"

It's Dean, thank God. "Dean! I need your help, I've been abducted."

"Yeah, I know. What can you tell me about your surroundings?"

"Not much except the drive here was about twenty  minutes and I'm being held in the basement of a suburban household. Oh and my kidnappers are-"

All of a sudden the phone is wrenched out of Castiel's hands. Castiel yelps in discord.

He hears Dean's tinny voice shouting through the speaker, "Cas! Castiel!" before Madge flips the phone shut.

"Oh, I forgot all about these pesky things," she tuts, "When I was your age we communicated face to face as people were meant to." She slides the phone into her apron pocket and gives it a single pat.

Castiel despairs. That was his last tether to the outside world.

"Okie dokie," Madge continues, "Anyway, we better get a move on with the ceremony. Eddie, Dear, bring me my tools please."

"Ceremony?" Castiel questions nervously.

Madge just smiles sweetly and says nothing. Eddie brings her an old woman's carpet bag and she begins to empty it's contents onto a surgical tray.

"You see, dear, Eddie and I aren't young spring chickens like you are anymore. Every year we notice are eyesight goes fuzzier, our hips creak a little more, and it's hard to walk for long without get fatigued."

Madge picks up a dagger from the tray and pokes the sharp end of it with a slump finger, "And then we read this interesting little book in my book club about pagan deities, we were running out of interesting material you see. I did so more research and I discovered certain gods will grant youth and vitality to anyone who offers up a sacrifice."

Castiel feels his eyes widen in unabashed horror, "You're crazy! You two are both certifiably insane!"

Eddie chuckles good-naturedly next to his wife, "That's what I thought at first, too, but I'd never go against Madge. After our first sacrifice, I noticed immediately my cataracts were gone and I could suddenly do a hundred pushups without breaking a sweat like I was twenty years old again." His smile fades, "Of course, the affect didn't last."

Madge shook her head, "The next time we tried the sacrifice we noticed the effects were there but faded again. After a few times I realized my mistake, old tomes written in Old English are a bit tricky to translate you see, and I realized we weren't inflicting enough pain on the sacrificial lamb before we offered it up."

"How many times have you done this!?" Castiel asks in horror.

"You'll be our seventh sacrifice," Eddie answers proudly.

"And hopefully our last,"  Madge interjects "Performing this sacrifice every year is incredibly troublesome so I'm going to try my darnedest to make sure this sacrifice is the one that finally grants us immortality."

She sighs, "Unfortunately, that means will have to inflict incredible amounts of pain. Sorry about this dearie." She slashes the dagger across his chest with a smile that didn't hold an ounce of contrition.

The cut is shallow but no less stinging.

Madge puts down the dagger and picks up a pair of pliers. One by one, agonizingly slow, she yanks Castiel's fingernails off.

He screams in pain and begs her to stop but the older woman keeps going deaf to his cries of anguish. She drops his fingernails covered in blood with bits of flesh still stuck to into into a decorative _Frosty the Snowman_ bowl.

Castiel hears Madge set down the plier. He can't see through the tears streaming in rivulets down his face.

"Take a breather, sweetie, "she says, "I have to go check on the Christmas cookies I'm baking for my book club."

Eddie and Madge disappear upstairs once more leaving Castiel with his quiet sobs.

......

"Cas! Castiel! Damn it, we got disconnected."

"That's okay," Sam says typing away furiously on his laptop. "I think we got what we need."

When Sam had said he knew a way to track Castiel's cell phone to the exact street he was on, Dean was skeptical. The kid was a genius but he was only twelve for christ sake's. The polic haven't even figured out how to do that.

Sam said the only thing they would need along with getting a hold of Cas on the cell phone was his password. It took Dean a couple guesses. He guessed Cas' birthday, his favorite movie, even the word Christmas.

Sam guessed  correctly that the password was Dean's own birthday. ' _Cas, you sap.'_

"Okay, I got it!" Sam turns and faces the screen towards Dean.

"Meadowsweet Road? Don't only sweet old people live up there?"

"I think it makes sense though," Sam says excitedly, "While you were talking to the police, I hacked into the police department's files and found all their abduction records for the past ten years. I think all of these people were abducted by the same person because they're always abducted around Christmas, and they're all on the younger side. Plus, from the looks of the victim's pictures they looked like the type that would have a hard time fighting back."

He pulls out a map of Lawrence, "I plotted all the points the victims were last seen. Most of them fall in a pretty even circle except for this one almost dead center. It was the first kidnapping, _and_ it was really close to Meadowsweet Road. Maybe when the cops started sniffing around too close to home the kidnappers realized they had to expand their hunting ground a little farther away."

Dean hugs Sam, "This is great, Sammy." Dean strides towards the door with purpose, "I'm going to get Cas."

"Wait, aren't you going to tell the police?"

Dean snorts, "No way, at least not yet. It took you 45 minutes to figure out something they couldn't in ten years. I'm not gonna let them muck this up, I'm taking things into my owns hands."

Sam looks unsure but then he nods determinedly, "Okay, then take me with you."

Dean hesitates for a moment and then nods his assent.

Sam creeps into the kitchen and swipes the keys to the Impala off the counter when John and Mary have their backs turned murmuring worriedly over a cup of coffee.

Both boys leave through Dean's window, and once they're both buckled in they're speeding towards Meadowsweet Road.


	3. Chapter 3

As they were breaking every speed limit on their way to MeadowSweet Road, Dean wondered what kind of person kidnapped Castiel. What would they even want with him?

Sam said all the previous victims had also been young like Castiel, so maybe some kind of perverted psycho?

Castiel is a good-looking kid, Dean supposes objectively of course. He'd been there's tons of sickos that would like to get there hands on him.

Dean knows one thing for sure, if he finds that they laid a finger on Castiel they're going to wish they'd never been born.

.....

Madge didn't give him much time to recover after ripping out all of his fingernails. After she returned covered in batter, she picked up a curved dagger, "This may sting a lot," she warns.

Shes drags the dagger across his upper forearm and Castiel swears violently.

"Now that's no way for a young man to speak," Madge tuts, "You know what I do when I feel like swearing? I saw 'fudge'," Madge smiles, "It works every time."

"Bite me," Cas growls

"Oh there'll be time for that later."

Castiel is about to ask what she means when she drags the dagger and creates a deep gash on his other forearm. This time he bites his tongue and groans in pain.

Eddie collects the blood dripping from both his arms in the _Frosty the Snowman_ bowl.

Madge sets down the dagger and picks up a pair of heavy duty pliers, "This is my favorite part," she winks.

She grabs Castiel's jaw with a firm hand. He tries to fight her but Eddie comes up behind him and holds his head still.

Madge forces the pliers into his mouth a fasten them around the molar. She yanks the tooth violently and it frees from Castiel's gums with a sickening rip.

"Fuck!" he swears.

Madge gives him a look, "I'll let that one slide because I know it had to hurt like a son of a nutcracker." She drops the tooth into the snowman bowl with a soft _plink._ "All righty, this is the part where we dismember and eat you."

Eddie grins, "Now this is _my_ favorite part."

"Wait what?! You guys are fu-" Castiel is interrupted by the doorbell.

"Hold that thought dear," Madge says stuffing a gag into Castiel's mouth, "that must be the next door neighbor dropping off her Christmas fruitcake. You sit tight and we'll be back in a jiffy."

......

Dean's hope sank a little when they got to MeadowSweet Road and saw it much more of a joyful suburban paradise than he imagine. But he trusted in Sam's skills and Castiel did say he was trapped in a suburban house right?

Dean sent Sam to the front door of every house under the ruse of being a Christmas caroler while Dean snuck around the back of the house and checked all the windows for any sign of Cas.

Dean thanked his lucky stars Sam was just beginning puberty and still had the high seraphic voice of an angel.

By the eighth house Dean was having a real hard time remaining optimistic. This house was even more jolly than the rest on the block. Every inch was covered in Christmas lights and every window had a wreath.

Dean despaired even more when he saw that the couple who answered the door for Sam were a sweet older couple, maybe early sixties. The woman was wearing a frilly cake batter-covered Christmas apron for fuck's sake.

But Dean knew it was naive to judge a book by its cover so he stealthily snuck out of the bushes he was crouching around the house. He peered into every window and only saw a living room with God awful wallpaper and to many santa statues, and similarly decorated sitting room, and a kitchen that had every surface covered with various pastries.

A strange looking knife on the kitchen counter caught Dean's eye. It had a curved blade and it looked ancient. Not the type of knife someone would be baking scones with.

Dean crept back towards the front of the house and gave Sam the signal to keep the couple stalled. Sam gave him a nod imperceptible to the older couple. They were too enraptured in his melodic singing voice.

Dean skulked around the back of the house and saw a window looking into the basement. He peered through it, using his phone as a flashlight. He couldn't see much; just some dusty shelves and jars. And then he saw a familiar mop of dark hair would recognize anywhere.

Dean almost cried with relief. He called the police, "This is Dean Winchester, I found Castiel Novak. I need the police at 56 MeadowSweet Road. He's being held captive in a basement."

The operator told him to stay on the line, but Dean hung up anyway. He needed to get to Castiel.

He tries to pry open the window but it won't budge. He takes off his jacket and wraps around his fist. He punches the glass and it shatters. Dean prays Sam's rendition of "Silent Night" is loud enough to cover the sound.

It's a tight fit but Dean manages to squeeze through the window. He lands on the floor with a grunt and a thud.

He can see Cas visibly struggling against his rope bindings to see what's causing the ruckus behind him.

Dean pushes himself up to his feet in a hurry and quickly rushes to Castiel's side.

"Jesus, Cas."

The other boy looked terrible. There were deep slashes across both his forearms with blood sluicing lazily in rivulets out of each cuts. There was another gash across his chest. His fingernails had been pulled out. Now his fingers were just bloody, plushy stumps.

Dean hurriedly pulled the gag out of Cas' mouth. "Dean," Cas coughed up blood pathetically and continued, "You shouldn't be here. These people are criminally insane and dangerous."

Dean can't be sure, but he thinks they pulled out one of his teeth in the back of his mouth. There's so much blood dripping out of his mouth. There's so much blood everywhere.

"What you think I was just gonna leave you here so they could do god knows what else to you?" Dean's furious at the suggestion.

And he's fucking livid with these psychopaths. He'd love to grab one of those knives on the surgical try and give those sickos a taste of their own medicine but he seriously needs to get Cas to the hospital.

"Dean, these people are crazy. They're trying to sacrifice me. They might try the same with you. You have to get out of here before..." Cas trails off as his head starts to droop. He's losing too much blood.

"Nuh uh, you're not skipping out on me, Cas". Dean grabs a knife and cuts through Cas' bindings. He hauls Cas to his feet and slings his arm around his shoulder, almost completely supporting his weight.

He wonders how he's going to get the boy up through the window when he hears someone speak behind, "Oh jingle bells, what do we have here?"

Dean whips around and sees the older woman in the apron. She looks like someone's sweet grandmother who bakes fudge brownies and plays bridge with the neighbors. Did she really do this?

"I really wish you hadn't come down here," she sighs, "It's such a mess and I wasn't expecting any visitors. I would've tried to tidy up a little."

"Yeah, well I hear blood stains are a bitch and half to scrub out," Dean sneers.

The woman gives him a disapproving look, "Why do all you young people have such foul mouths these days? I was just telling your little friend a to try saying 'fudge' when he feels like swearing."

"I'll try to remember that," Dean jeers.

"Well it was a bit of surprise having you drop in like this but I always say the more the merrier!" She smiles and calls up the stairs, "Eddie, say goodbye to that caroler, I need help setting up a place for our handsome new dinner guest!"

The older man comes down a moment later, and Dean sets Castiel back down in the chair, preparing himself for a fight.

"Don't be a hero, son" Eddie warns kindly, "It won't end well for you."

"I can't see it ending well for me anyway."

The older woman shrugs at her husband, "He got a point there, Eddie."

Dean's had enough of this lunacy. He launches himself at Eddie. He gets in two good punches until the older man hits him back. Dean is knocked to the ground momentarily. ' _That guy is stronger than he looks'_

He quickly scrabbles to his feet. He ducks the man's next punch and lands a good kick to the man's stomach. He groans and doubles over in pain. Dean grabs him by the back of his tacky Christmas sweater and shoves him hard. He collides into the rows of dusty shelves and knocks them over, shattering almost every jar.

"That's enough!" the woman's voice rises above the clamor.

Castiel's blue eyes are wide and electric with fear, She has a knife to Castiel's throat.

"Now you ,young man,are going to sit yourself down and let us tie you up like a proper house guest," she says threateningly at Dean, "or else I'm going to slash his throat."

"No!" Dean chokes, "Please,  I'll take his place for the sacrifice or whatever just please let him go."

She shakes her head fondly like he's a child that has said something particularly adorable, "Now why would I do that, silly billy? Everyone knows two sacrifices are better than one."

Dean wonders if he can tackle her before she can cut Castiel, but something on his face must betray him. "You shouldn't have thought about that." She pokes the tip of the knife into Castiel's neck and Dean can see the skin begin to break as a tiny speck of blood forms. Castiel winces.

"No! Stop I'll-"

"This is the police!"  a deep voice cuts in. Heavy footsteps bound down the stairs and the room is suddenly filled to the brim with officers. They all have their guns trained on the woman. "Drop your weapon!" the sheriff commands.

For the first time the old woman looks scared and she immediately drops her knife. An officer cuffs her hands behind her back and another one hauls her husband to his feet. They are read their miranda rights as they're forced up the stairs.

"Cas!" Dean rushes past the officers trying to question him and to the boy's side immediately. He looks unconscious. "Cas! Castiel!"

"You need to stand back, son," the sheriff says not unkindly. He puts his hand on Dean's shoulder and gently tries to pull him away from Castiel. "The paramedics need room to do their job."

Dean relents reluctantly.

Sam is waiting for Dean outside with wide eyes and a worried expression. "Dean! Is Cas going to be okay?"

"I hope so Sammy."

They both get in the Impala and follow the ambulance to the hospital in complete silence.

.......

Castiel woke up to harsh bright lights. Normally, they would be bothering him but Castiel can't feel bothered much by anything right now; he feels like he's floating.

He turns his head to the side and sees a figure standing with his back to him looking out the window.

"Dean?" he croaks. God, his throat is dry.

Dean whips around immediately, "Cas! Thank God! I was so worried when you didn't immediately wake up. The doctors said it was just the trauma and bloodloss but I couldn't understand all their psychobabble and-"

"Were you crying?" Castiel cuts Dean's rambling short. His eyes were red and slightly puffy.

The other boy blushes, clearly embarrassed. "Yeah, I was really afraid for a second that you might have lost too much blood and you weren't ever going to wake up. I was just being stupid. Even Sam told me as much."

"What happened to Madge and Eddie?"

For a moment Dean's face turns furious. Castiel has never seen so much raw anger in the other boy's face. "Those sicks fucks are in jail where they belong. And they're going to rot in there for the rest of their lives."

Dean must notice the shocked expression on his face because he coughs and changes the subject, "Uh, you're parents were here, but they went home really quick to rest and get changed. The doctors weren't expecting you to wake up for a couple of hours."

Castiel tilts his head, "So why are you still here?" He glances over Dean's attire and notices his clothes are covered in dried blood. _His_ dried blood. "Have you been here since I was admitted?"

Dean flushes again, "Yeah, of course. There's was no use in me going home anyway. I can't get any rest when I'm worried about you."

Castiel smiles and wondered what he did to deserve this astounding boy, "Thank you, Dean,"

Dean scrubs the back of his neck, "So, uh, are you in a lot of pain?"

"No, not really. I kind of feel..floaty"

Dean laughs, "That would be all the pain medication you're doped up on."

"Oh," Castiel examines his hands. His forearms are bandaged and all his fingertips have cottons bandages around them, "I guess that mean the pains going to come later then, huh?"

Dean nods sympathetically. "Yeah, unfortunately. But hey, this might cheer you up." He places a gift bag covered in Christmas reindeer on Castiel's hospital bed.

Oh yeah. Today was Christmas.

Castiel reaches into the bag and carefully removes the gift from the sparkly tissue paper. It's a gorgeous Christmas wreath, with white flower buds, red holly berries, and silk ribbons.

"I made it," Dean says embarrassment slightly coloring his voice. "My grandma showed me how. I thought since your house is so devoid of Christmas decorations, you could hang it up in your room so you could have a little Holiday cheer for the rest of the season."

Castiel can feel himself smiling widely, "Thank you, Dean." He startles the other boy by pulling him down into a hug.

He pulls away, "It's beautiful, just what I needed." Castiel frowns slightly, "I wish I had something to give you, but I'm afraid I lost my present for you when I was abducted."

"Yeah, I figured," Dean laughs, "Don't worry about it. You can just make me some of your famous fudge brownies when your fingers are no longer bloody stumps and we can call it even."

Castiel rolls his eyes, "You know I'd make those for you anyway, Dean."

"Yeah, I know. Seriously, Cas, don't sweat it. You're safe and that's more than good enough for me this Christmas."

No, that's enough. Cas is contemplative for a moment and that he has an idea. "I know!"

Dean looks confused for a second until Castiel's pulls him down and kisses him gently on the cheek. He's thankful he's on so much pain medication because there's no way he'd be doing this otherwise.

Dean is blushing bright red but manages to say anyway, "Well if you're going to give me a kiss for Christmas you may as well give me a proper one." Dean pulls Castiel into a kiss right on the mouth.

It's fills Castiel with warmth and joy and all the good things he loves so much about the holiday season. He moves to deepen the kiss but Dean withdraws, "Not so much, so fast, Cas. I'm afraid I might hurt you. You lost a tooth for Christ's sakes."

Castiel rolls his eyes and kisses Dean chastely one more time, "Merry Christmas, Dean."

"Merry Christmas, Cas."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I got my idea for this after rewatching "A Very Supernatural Christmas". Hope you like it!


End file.
